Method and appratus for providing content to a mobile terminal

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a method of providing content to a mobile terminal, the method comprising the steps of: receiving data at the mobile terminal; classifying the content data in accordance with classification data comprised within the content data; storing the content data within the mobile terminal; creating an access object whereby the content data may be accessed; and associating the access object with further access objects having similar classification codes. This method has a significant effect in simplifying the provision of content to mobile terminals.

This invention relates to the field of providing content to a mobileterminal and in particular to classifying and storing content datawithin a mobile terminal.

It is already possible to use a mobile handset for browsing remotecontent using wireless technology for the communications link. Thiscontent might be from the Internet, or may be specifically created formobile telephone handsets, using, for example the Wireless ApplicationProtocol, (WAP). The user typically initiates such a session by startingthe browser in his terminal, and either entering an address for thecontent he wishes to access, or more conveniently, selecting a bookmarkwhich provides a shortcut to the address, the bookmark having beenentered and stored previously. The address may conveniently follow thewell-established URL (Uniform Resource Locator) format.

Such browsing behaviour is distinct from the other mode of usage of thehandset, namely local or non-connected use, such as managing the localaddress book content, or playing a local game. There are a number ofdrawbacks for the user in this means of accessing remote content interms of usability, which include, amongst other factors, entering a URLis quite laborious and error-prone, especially on a small mobile handsetwhich typically does not have a full-size QWERTY layout keyboard; wherebookmarks are used, they risk becoming out of date and they are alsodifficult to manage within a small screen user interface, requiring theuser to create categories (if such a feature exists on the handset) andremember their meaning; and there is no effective non-intrusive meansfor the owner of remote content to present or push content to the user.This goal can be achieved only by persuading the user to visit/bookmarkhis site, or by sending the user a message containing the bookmark,which is generally considered intrusive and annoying.

This invention offers a solution to the usability problem, and presentsa greatly improved means for the user to find relevant remote contentwhen he needs it, and for the owner of remote content to presentrelevant services in a manner that is convenient, attractive andnon-intrusive.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an methodof providing content data to a mobile terminal, the method comprisingthe steps of the mobile terminal: (a) receiving content data transmittedby a content server; (b) classifying the content data in accordance withclassification data; (c) storing the content data within the mobileterminal; (d) creating an access object whereby the content data may beaccessed; and (e) associating the access object with further accessobjects having similar classification data, the method beingcharacterised in that step (b) comprises classifying the content data inaccordance with classification data comprised within the content data.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided acontent installation module for a mobile terminal, the module, in use:classifying content data received by the mobile terminal in accordancewith classification data; storing the content data within storage meanswithin the mobile terminal; creating an access object to access thecontent data; the access object being associated with further accessobjects having similar classification data, the method beingcharacterised in that classifying the content data comprises classifyingthe content data in accordance with classification data comprised withinthe content data.

Computer software programs for implementing the first and second aspectsof the present invention may be provided on computer readable datacarriers. The content data may be content for display by the terminal,such as text, audio, video, etc., or it may be an object that can beexecuted by the terminal, for example an application such as a Javaapplet or a MIDlet.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, withreference to the following Figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a mobile terminal according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of the process whereby content isprovided to the mobile terminal;

FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of the processes whereby data content isdisplayed on the display device 110 of the mobile terminal 100; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic depiction of the representation of local andremote content on a mobile terminal.

FIG. 1 shows a mobile terminal 100 suitable for use with the presentinvention. The mobile terminal comprises a radio antenna 105, a displaydevice 110 and a user input device 120. The display device 110 displaysa number of items, such as a viewable text or an image, that comprise orare associated with a hyperlink. Selecting the hyperlink using the userinput device causes the mobile terminal to display a further item oritems associated with the hyperlink, for example a menu of options or adata file. The item (or items) associated with the may be stored locallywithin the mobile terminal or on a remote data store 210, which isconnected to the mobile terminal by wireless communications network 200.Both local and remote items are presented together to the user on thedisplay device, although an indication may be given to the user as towhether an item is stored locally or remotely. For example, the displaydevice might show a menu having the options of ‘News’, ‘Sport’,‘Entertainment’, ‘Business’, ‘Games’ and ‘Horoscope’. Selecting the‘News’ menu may bring up a list of several headlines which are storedlocally and have been downloaded from a content provider's data store220 that is connected to the mobile terminal by wireless communicationsnetwork 200. Selection of one of these headlines will cause the mobileterminal to connect to the remote data store 220 to download the content(text, audio, video, etc) that is associated with the selected headline.A number of similar arrangements may be provided for the other menus,with some content being stored locally and some remotely. The menus maycontain a number of submenus, for example the ‘News’ menu could link toa number of headlines and/or a number of submenus, for example ‘NationalNews’, ‘Local News’, ‘International News’, ‘Political News’, etc. Forexample, if the user enters a birth date into a locally basedapplication this can be supplied to a remote application that generatesa horoscope for that birth date. The horoscope could be stored locallyon the mobile terminal or a local hyperlink could reference theappropriate horoscope data stored on a remote data store.

The user interface (UI) for such a mobile terminal is convenientlycreated using a mark-up language (ML) that creates user screens locallyusing a UI engine 150 that can generate ML compliant data that isrendered by a browser 160 for display on the display device 110. Typicalmark-up languages used with mobile terminals are HTML (Hyper TextMark-up Language) or WML (Wireless Mark-up Language).

It will be clear from the above that it is necessary for the terminal toreceive episodic updates of data content to be stored locally andhyperlinks, along with any associated content, to refer to remotelystored content. These updates need to be received over the wirelesscommunications network 200 and then installed within the mobile terminalsuch that the content is correctly stored within a menu-based hierarchyso that it can be accessed by a user.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic depiction of the process whereby content istransmitted to the mobile terminal. The content data is transmitted tothe mobile terminal 100 over the wireless communications network 200.The incoming content data is processed by a validation module 130 toensure that transmission has taken place correctly (for example, the useof error checking and/or error correcting codes) and that the content issuitable for use with the mobile terminal (for example that the terminalhas sufficient storage capacity to store the content, that the contenttype [e.g. video, audio, text, etc] is suitable for the particularmobile terminal, etc.).

The content data is then processed by the installation module 140 and anentry is made in a log file to assist in the subsequent management anddeletion of the content data. Preferably, the content data includes oneor more of the following characteristics:

-   -   A unique identifier to simplify the deletion, modification or        overwriting of the content data.    -   A version number corresponding to the minimum version of the        installation module (140) for which this content data will        operate successfully.    -   A content category, to allow the installer to place the content        in the most suitable location within the menu structure and        within a page. Nested or hierarchical categories allow the        content to be referenced from multiple menus and submenus.    -   A start date & time, before which the content will not be        available to the user.    -   An expiry date & time, after which the content will no longer be        available to the user.    -   A tag to indicate whether the user has the right to delete the        content.    -   A tag to indicate whether the user has the right to share the        content with other mobile terminals.    -   A data payload, which can consist of viewable content (text or        images), animated graphics, other multimedia content such as        audio and video, telephone numbers and descriptors, email        addresses and descriptors, logical elements to manage local        behaviour, such as JavaScript components, links to new installed        pages, links to remote content, means to install pages into the        user interface tree, etc.    -   A Digital Rights Management (DRM) scheme may be used to protect        the data payload from unauthorised copying, sharing, or        excessive use.

An example of such content data is given below in Appendix A using XML(extended Mark-up Language), which has the potential for providing fargreater functionality than the more conventionally used HTML. Preferablythe installation module is implemented using XML so that functionalityupgrades might easily be applied.

The nature and type of content that is provided to a user terminal maybe controlled directly by the terminal user, or the user may register anumber of interests and preferences with one or more content providers.Local content will generally be provided free of charge whilst the usermay be charged to access some remote content, which may then be storedlocally once it has been paid for. Advertising may be used to subsidisethe cost of content provision. Potential content and thus the nature oflinks to remotely stored content are virtually unlimited and mayinclude, without restriction, news, sports, jokes, digital music (forexample MP3 files) and music information, access to network operator andterminal manufacturer support services, games and on-line gaming, new,user billing and account details, directory services, m-commercemerchants, etc. The local content may be displayed so as to appeardifferent to remote content i.e. through using different text fonts orcolours, or through the insertion of an icon next to the links inquestion. This communicates to the user that there may be a cost ortransmission delay before the content can be accessed.

FIG. 4 shows an example of how local content and remote content can bepresented on a mobile terminal. FIG. 4 a shows a number of links, someof which are to local content (i.e. calendar data) and some of which areto remote data (i.e. a taxi service and a dating service). FIG. 4 bshows the result of ‘focussing’ on the dating service link (i.e.positioning a cursor or other selection device over the link withoutselecting it. Once the link is selected, remote content must bedownloaded and FIG. 4 c shows a page that is displayed whilst the remotecontent is being acquired. Preferably this page is stored locally, butif it is stored remotely then it should be designed to download in aslittle time as possible. FIG. 4 d shows a page of remote content thathas been delivered to the mobile terminal.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic depiction of the processes whereby data contentis displayed on the display device 110 of the mobile terminal 100. Thedata content is displayed through the rendering of mark-up languagecompliant data by the browser 160. The browser may comprise Java VirtualMachine (JVM) 162 to enable Java applets to be executed by the terminal(or alternatively a discrete JVM may be provided). The user selects ahyperlinked data item using the user input device 120 and the UI engineinterprets this selection and identifies whether the data item referredto by the hyperlink is stored locally (i.e. within the mobile terminalor an associated storage device) or remotely (i.e. on a content serverwhich is connected to the terminal by a wireless communicationsnetwork).

If the data item is stored locally then the UI engine 150 sends arequest to the content database system 170, which comprises a databaseAPI 172, a database engine 174 and a database 176, the database beingstored on a storage device 178. The UI engine request is interpreted bythe database API 172 and the interpreted request is passed on to thedatabase engine 174. The database engine then queries the database 176using the interpreted request and the database returns the raw contentdata associated with the original UI engine request to the databaseengine, which forwards the data to the database API. The database APIthen places the raw content data within an XML wrapper and sends it tothe UI engine. Depending upon the nature of the content data and anyuser preferences, the UI engine may send the content data directly tothe browser 160, where the content is rendered and displayed to theuser. Alternatively the UI engine may apply one or more XSL (extendedstyle language) style sheets to format the content data (which mayinclude encoding the data into another format that is more suitable forrendering by the browser, for example HTML or WML), before sending thedata to the browser, where the formatted data is rendered and presentedto the user in the desired format.

If the data item that is selected by the user choosing a hyperlink isstored remotely then the UI engine prompts the browser to send a requestto the network location indicated by the selected hyperlink. Thebrowser's request is sent via the protocol stack 182 that is requiredfor successful communication over a wireless communications network. Theprotocol stack comprises the standard TCP/IP protocols which allow themobile terminal to communicate with internet hosts and the transport andphysical layer protocols, for example the third generation UMTSprotocols, that enable the mobile terminal to access and communicateover a wireless communications network. The mobile terminal establishesa communications link between the radio interface 190 a network accessserver (NAS) 310 that routes the browser's request to the appropriatecontent server 330, via the internet 320.

The content server 320 will check that the mobile terminal thatoriginated the request is allowed to access the requested content (e.g.a registered user of the server, sufficient credit in account to buy thecontent, etc.) The content is then transmitted across the internet tothe NAS, where it is then transmitted across a wireless communicationslink to the mobile terminal where it is received at the radio interface.The data content packets will then pass through the protocol stack fromwhich the content can be extracted and the content passed to thebrowser. Dependent upon the nature and format of the content, thebrowser may be able to render it (either directly or using additionalfunctionality provided by ‘plug-in’ modules) for display on the displaydevice or the content data may be forwarded to the UI engine in order tohave an XSL style sheet applied in order to transform the content datainto a format that can be rendered by the browser. It will be understoodthat the XML and XSL processing of data may be centralised, for examplein the UI engine, the browser, or in a separate XML processing module180, or distributed within more than one of the entities discussedabove, with some processing being performed when data is sent by and/orreceived at the entity.

If the content is a MIDlet (Mobile Information Device Application) IDthen the JVM will instantiate the MIDlet (or install and instantiate theMIDlet if it is remotely located) without applying style sheets to theMIDlet.

As is described above, the remote content will have a content tag, whichmay conveniently be incorporated into the page description as HTML tags,for example <category1>Sport</category1>. In this case the installationmodule 140 will look for a Sport menu (or submenu) from which thecontent can be accessed. In addition the content might be accessed fromadditional menus for the most recently downloaded or most recentlyaccessed content. If the tag is, for example, Football then theinstallation module may recognise that Football is a subset of Sport andstore the content under the Sport menu if there is no Football submenu.

If there is no dedicated Sport menu then a link to the content may beadded to a General or Miscellaneous menu so that the user may access thecontent. Alternatively the installation module may prompt the user togenerate a Sport menu and then store the link for the new content withinthat menu. In a further alternative the remote content may be displayedin a random sequence.

Furthermore, tags may be inserted within the content, such as<category2>Advert</category2> located at a point considered by thecontent layout designer as being suitable for the insertion of anadvert.

Some content may include multiple tags, for example ‘Sport andAdvertising’. On receipt of this content the installation module willattempt to insert the content into a Sport menu at the first point wherea vacant Advertising tag exists. If no such Advertising tag is found,the installer may attempt to insert it at the bottom of the Sport page.If multiple Sport menus and submenus are found, the installer will placethe content within the highest level of the menu hierarchy. New contentcan be installed within menus that have been created by previousinstallations and if the content is an update or a development ofpreviously downloaded content then new content may be inserted into orused to overwrite the previously downloaded content.

Installed remote content may be deleted by the user (unless thepermission tag indicate he may not), by the expiration of the expirytime and date, or remotely by a command sent over the network using thecontent's unique identifier. Pages cannot be deleted or expired if theyin turn have had newer content installed onto them, which has not yetbeen deleted or expired. Advantageously the user may have visibility ofall content that has been installed onto his handset, for example bychronological order, as well as ability to remove some or all of theinstalled content simultaneously.

Content can be installed in one of two methods. The installation modulemay insert the received content into the pages already in the database,following a cut and paste model, whilst maintaining a log of insertions(the content and the recipient pages) to allow it to remove the contentlater.

Alternatively, the received content may be placed in a separate library,and a link to the content be inserted into the target page. In thislatter case, the UI engine must dynamically follow the link in order tobuild the full page. An advantage of using this method is that pagecontent can be varied, according to user preference, and is more able topresent remote content in an optimally located way. For example, if asports advert is received but no sports page exists yet, the installerwill default to putting it in some general or miscellaneous page.However, if a sports page is received and installed some time later, theinstaller may then move the link for the sports advert to the moreappropriate location.

As an alternative to putting received content into locations determinedby tags placed in the page description HTML, in another embodimentcontent data may be placed in fixed slots which are pre-determined atthe time of the terminal's configuration. An example of such a locationwould be a fixed slice of screen area, above the soft keys area andbelow the main applications pane. This area can be identified byassociating it with a tag type for example<category1>ScreenSpace</category1>. It will be understood that such aslot could be of any shape (including non-rectangular), and could be inany screen position. The nature of the slot (shape, size, transparencyattributes) can be itself be controlled and changed by use of a suitablecommand channel. It will be understood that the arrangement can beextended to encompass multiple slots. Received content bearing such atag type would always be located in that slot. Multiple items ofreceived content that match that tag type might be displayedsequentially or randomly. Alternatively, the area visibly behind themain application pane can also be designated as a fixed slot. Thislocation allows material to be displayed faintly but constantly in thecentral background of any or all pages, in the manner of a faintwatermark on a piece of paper.

Some UI technologies make it possible for the user or operator changethe theme of a handset UI (sometimes referred to as the UI skin). Thiscan be achieved either by selection from a pre-installed set of skinsthat are pre-installed within the handset, by downloading new skins tobe installed into the handset from local or remote networks, or via aplug-in device such as a smart skin (see, for example, our co-pendingapplication GB0128654.1 or the Smart Skin product manufactured byWildseed Ltd.). The installation module may be compatible with such asystem, and can take priority over it in the UI hierarchy by forcingpersistence. Thus, downloaded material that has been installed shouldremain present and visible after a change of skin, although theappearance of the material may have been changed by the application ofthe new skin. Optionally, downloaded material may include an additionalcharacteristic tag to indicate whether the item will remain present andvisible after the application of a new skin, or whether the new skinwill cause the content to not be displayed.

Downloaded theme changes may also include sound events as a part or thewhole of their content. Sound events that are subject to updating caninclude without restriction ring tones (as are already in wide use),message alerts, battery state indications, key press tones, game tones,cover opening/closing tones, start-up/shut-down tones, signal level andradio coverage alerts, time alarms, calendar events, error conditions,or any combination of the above, such as a special tone to indicatestart-up whilst conditioned by a message outstanding in an inbox. Thesemay used in isolation or can be linked to a graphic display event.

If a user selects content to be downloaded then it should be transmittedin response to the user's request, unless the user requests transmissionto be deferred. However, if a content or network provider is ‘pushing’content to the mobile terminal then it is preferable if this to occur inthe background without inconveniencing the user, for example at nighttime or in accordance with typical usage patterns. This content pushingmay be suspended if the user makes use of the mobile terminal.

Distribution of installed content may be unique to a specific handset(uniquely addressed), or the same content may be multicast or broadcastto many handsets, using known transmission techniques. Installed contentmay be conveniently carried within a multimedia message, such as theMultimedia Message System (MMS) with the remote content being carried inthe MMS and using a unique MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)type, such as x-vnd.3glab-triglet. EMS (Extended Messaging System) andWAP pushing are also suitable distribution mechanisms.

The mobile terminal may not always be within network radio coverage(being out of service area, in a tunnel, etc). By including a certainamount of viewable local content, the user is protected to some extentfrom being out of coverage. For example, he can still read the newsheadlines, even if he cannot follow the link to access further details.In such a situation links that are inaccessible because, for example,the handset is out of network radio coverage are clearly indicated tothe user in a visible fashion, for example include rendering the linksin a different colour font or making it impossible to select the link.

This change can be performed by the UI engine, which receives an inputsignal from the radio subsection, indicating the status of the wirelessdata link, and uses this signal to modify the visible attributes oflinks before delivering the content to the local browser. Thismodification could be achieved by changing the stored database, forexample to change the link text colour to grey of all remote linkswithin all pages, or alternatively, the text colour of remote links canbe modified ‘on the fly’ prior to rendering. In either case, it isnecessary to distinguish local content from remote content. This may beachieved by checking for http:// in the link (which is a pre-requisitefor pointing to a non-local resource), having all local links use theInternet Protocol address 127.0.0.1 (which by convention is used toidentify local host) or by arranging that local links omit the hostname,e.g. /localdirectory/page.html.

In addition to content such as text, audio or video, the presentinvention can be used to install Java-based application programs into amobile terminal. The Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) provides a platformthrough which a Java Virtual Machine (VM) can be created within a mobileterminal, despite the terminal having significantly reduced capabilitieswhen compared with a personal computer. Java compliant applications,commonly referred to as applets, can be executed within the VM enablingan applet to function across a number of different platforms (as long asthe platform is capable of supporting a VM). Applets that are properlyconstructed using J2ME are compatible with the other Java variants andthus such an applet can be executed by any terminal, from a mobiletelephone to a desktop personal computer. In order to assist thecompatibility of applets when executed across a range of mobileterminals, such as cellular telephones, that may have significantlydifferent capabilities, such as processor speed, memory, display size,etc. a Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) has been specified.Applets that comply with MIDP are commonly referred to as MIDlets.

Users of mobile terminals are likely to have a need to dynamicallyinstall and uninstall MIDlets, whilst handset manufacturers and networkoperators will wish to supply handsets that have pre-installed MIDlets.Furthermore, service and content providers will wish to ‘push’ MIDletsto mobile terminals in the hope that users will then pay for access tofurther MIDlets or other forms of content.

MIDlets can be instantiated by, for example, a user selecting ahighlighted icon or text segment using the keypad of the mobileterminal. The MIDlet will then be executed within the Java VM,responding appropriately to any user input or data received from anexternal source, for example a database stored within the terminal or ona remote server.

Within a development environment a MIDlet can be instantiated byentering the name of the MIDlet at the command line. Clearly this is notsuitable for a mobile terminal, which may have a restricted keypad, so amore suitable mechanism for instantiating the MIDlet must be provided,for example a hyperlinked icon or text label. This allows the ahyperlink for a MIDlet to be inserted anywhere within a UI, as discussedabove. MIDlets can be provided with an identification (ID) tag that canbe used as the basis for the identifying hyperlink.

MIDlets may be installed locally within the terminal or the terminal maystore the ID for a remotely located MIDlet. If the ID for a remotelylocated MIDlet is selected then the terminal will download the MIDlet,install and run the MIDlet (if the user does not have sufficient accessrights then the MIDlet may uninstall or delete itself once its executionhas been completed).

The use of the methods outlined above in the context of installingcontent can be used to install MIDlets, providing a number of distinctadvantages for the user. For example, the user can access theirfavourite MIDlets directly from convenient points in the UI, allowingthe user to link contents with associated MIDlets, rather than having tonavigate to a special MIDlet page or service. Also, it is moreconvenient for the user to have a MIDlet provided by the installation ofan ID item, compared with having to navigate to a MIDlet portal, managethe download process and then run the MIDlet as a separate program. Thisin turn makes it easier for developers or operators to promote newMIDlet-based applications or services as it is only necessary to installsuitable MIDlet IDs within user UIs rather than having to install theMIDlet itself.

Further similarities may include that if network coverage is notavailable to a mobile terminal, then the ID hyperlink can be ‘greyedout’ to indicate that the MIDlet is unavailable. The MIDlet may have a‘Category’ tag that defines the most relevant place that MIDlet may bestored within the UI, or the UI may be placed in a pre-determined fixedslot. The MIDlets (or their IDs) may comprise tags that enable (orforbid) the user to delete and/or share the MIDlet, and a MIDlet ID canbe installed onto pages that themselves have been installed previouslyby the downloading of remote content (see above).

Whilst it is possible to install (and then uninstall) a MIDlet ID for aMIDlet that is remotely located without having to having to install theMIDlet itself, a MIDlet ID for a locally stored MIDlet must be installedand uninstalled in track with the corresponding MIDlet.

In contrast to the methods described above, where the remote content cantake many forms, the downloaded data will be Java code content,typically in the Java Archive (JAR) format. The invention can also beused to install MIDlet suites, which comprise a plurality of MIDletsinto the UI of a mobile terminal.

It will be understood that the present invention is suitable forapplication with all manner of mobile terminals, and not just withsimple mobile telephones. Even before mobile use of the internet andremotely stored data has become ubiquitous it is possible to purchasepersonal digital assistants (PDAs) that have mobile communicationscapabilities (for example the RIM BlackBerry, Nokia 9210 Communicator,Palm i705 etc.) or mobile phones with functionality not previously foundin such devices (for example the Nokia 5510 & 7650 or the Ericsson T65).In the future it is likely that mobile devices will continue to bedeveloped and for their functionality to widen, with less of adistinction between PDAs and mobile telephones. It should be appreciatedthat the present invention is applicable to all of these sorts ofdevices and also to laptop and portable computers that have a modemenabling mobile communications.

The present invention may be implemented over virtually any wirelesscommunications network, for example second generation digital mobiletelephone networks (i.e. GSM, D-AMPS), so-called 2.5G networks (i.e.GPRS, HSCSD, EDGE) and third generation UMTS networks. Within buildingsand campuses other technologies such as Bluetooth or wireless LANs(whether based on radio or optical systems) may be used.

Computer software for implementing the methods described above, the UIengine and/or the installation module may be provided on data carrierssuch as floppy disks, CD-ROMS, non-volatile memory cards, etc. APPENDIXA <?xml version=“1.0” ?> <triglet> <ID>1234-83745-5554-qjy</ID><category> Sports <class> Advert </class> </category> <start>2002-01-1306:30:00 +0000</start> <expire>2002-01-17 17:30:00 +0000</expire><rights> <no_delete/> <no_share/> </rights> <html> <body> <li><ahref=“http://www.tickets4sale2u.com/special/wim/”>Click for greatWimbledon ticket offer!</a></li> </body> </html> </triglet>

1-27. (canceled)
 28. A method of providing content data to a mobileterminal, the method comprising the steps of the mobile terminal: (a)receiving content data transmitted by a content server; (b) classifyingthe content data in accordance with classification data; (c) storing thecontent data within the mobile terminal; (d) creating an access objectwhereby the content data may be accessed; and (e) associating the accessobject with further access objects having similar classification data;wherein step (b) comprises classifying the content data in accordancewith classification data comprised within the content data.
 29. A methodaccording to claim 28, wherein the access object is displayed on adisplay screen associated with the mobile terminal.
 30. A methodaccording to claim 29, wherein the access object is displayed within apre-determined section of the display screen.
 31. A method according toclaim 29, wherein one or more access objects are displayed on thedisplay screen and each of the one or more access objects is associatedwith either: (i) a local control command; (ii) a content data storedwithin the mobile terminal; or (iii) content data stored remotely fromthe mobile terminal.
 32. A method according to claim 31, wherein theappearance of access objects associated with remotely stored contentdata is altered to indicate whether the mobile terminal is in connectionwith the device storing the remotely stored content data.
 33. A methodaccording to claim 31, wherein the access object comprises dataindicating whether the associated content data may be made available toother terminals.
 34. A method according to claim 29, wherein the accessobject comprises a first time value such that the access object is notdisplayed until the first time value is attained.
 35. A method accordingto claim 29, wherein the access object comprises a second time valuesuch that the access object is displayed until the second time value isattained.
 36. A method according to claim 28, wherein step (e) comprisescreating a hierarchical tree to store the one or more access objects in.37. A method according to claim 36, wherein step (e) further comprisesextending the hierarchical tree when content data comprising a newclassification code is received.
 38. A method according to claim 28,wherein the access object created in step (d) comprises content data.39. A method according to claim 28, wherein the access object created instep (d) comprises a hyperlink.
 40. A method according to claim 39,wherein the created access object comprises a hyperlink associated withcontent data.
 41. A method according to claim 40, wherein the contentdata is audio data.
 42. A method according to claim 39, wherein thecreated access object comprises a hyperlink associated with anexecutable object.
 43. A method according to claim 42, wherein theexecutable object is a MIDlet.
 44. A method according to claim 28,wherein the access object created in step (d) comprises a local controlcommand.
 45. A method according to claim 29, wherein the display of oneor more access objects causes the terminal to display a user interfacepage.
 46. A method according to claim 45, wherein the user interfacepage is updated by inserting one or more further access objects.
 47. Amethod according to claim 45, wherein the user interface page is updatedby deleting one or more access objects.
 48. A content installationmodule for a mobile terminal, the module, comprising: classifyingcontent data received by the mobile terminal in accordance withclassification data; storing the content data within storage meanswithin the mobile terminal; creating an access object to access thecontent data; the access object being associated with further accessobjects having similar classification data, wherein classifying thecontent data comprises classifying the content data in accordance withclassification data comprised within the content data.
 49. A contentinstallation module according to claim 48, wherein the module furtherdisplays the access object on a display screen associated with themobile terminal.
 50. A content installation module according to claim49, wherein the module displays the access object within apre-determined section of the display screen.
 51. A content installationmodule according to claim 49, wherein the module displays one or moreaccess objects display screen and each of the one or more access objectsis associated with either: (i) a local control command; (ii) contentdata stored within the mobile terminal; or (iii) content data storedremotely from the mobile terminal.
 52. A content installation moduleaccording to claim 51, wherein the module alters the appearance ofaccess objects associated with remotely stored content data to indicatewhether the mobile terminal is in connection with the device storing theremotely stored content data.
 53. A content installation moduleaccording to claim 48, wherein the module stores one or more accessobjects in a hierarchical tree.
 54. A content installation moduleaccording to claim 53, wherein the module extends the hierarchical treewhen content data comprising a new classification code is received. 55.A data carrier comprising computer executable code for carrying out amethod according to claim 28.